Hauck’s phone sounded as he headed north to Hartford.
Raines was gone—but there was still one more link in the chain, and he had to get there before the FBI, or whoever else was involved, closed that one too.
Vern’s voice came on.
“They took him, Vern. Sculley and Taylor. They stole him right from under us. Arrested him on a RICO charge.”
“It doesn’t matter anymore.” The chief sounded tired and a little disappointed. “You can turn yourself around and come on home, Ty.”
“Come on home?”
Vern paused. “Raines is dead, Ty.”
“Dead?” Hauck felt slammed. He slowed to the side of the road. “How?”
“Taylor shot him. Attempting to escape. On their way down to New Haven. Raines forced them to pull over. Somehow he managed to take Sculley’s gun.”
Escape. Another door was shut. Another link back to Scayne and Casey. A troubled thought knifed into his mind. “You see what’s going on, don’t you? It’s happening all over again. Just like with Vega. Evidence is lost, the case against a killer gets dropped. Except now they’re not taking any chances. The leak just died.”
“You have to be careful about just where you take this, Ty…”
“These people killed Sanger and Kramer, Vern. And Freddy. They tried to kill me.”
Oncoming headlights glared sharply in the windshield. Innocent people had been caught up in this, this cover-up, and died. He’d made promises. This doesn’t just get shut down. Swept under the rug. It didn’t end with Raines. People ordered this. And it didn’t end with Warren either.
“I can’t, Vern.”
“Turn back around. I mean that, Ty. You had a shooting today. Don’t make me give you an order.”
“I don’t know if I can, Vern.”